No one single method of trauma treatment works for everyone. Rather, the road to recovery is made up of many healing journeys. I use the word "journey" to illustrate that recovery is a process that requires maintenance but gets easier with time. Treatment gives you a roadmap. A therapist can guide you but only you can read the signs and use the tools needed to rebuild a sense of safety in your life.
Treatment methods that have proven track records of reducing trauma symptoms include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and medication. CBT is a form of talk therapy in which you and your counselor work on your thoughts and behaviors. EMDR is a type of experiential therapy that uses a tool called bilateral stimulation or dual attention stimulus to help you desensitize traumatic memories. Antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been shown to be beneficial. As research continues, we will likely add more methods to the list of effective treatments.
The emphasis of trauma treatment has shifted across the board from focusing on processing the past to practicing safe coping in the present. Why? Past and present centered treatments have been found to be equally effective. Revisiting the past may never be needed after finding and using one's best coping strategies in the present. In any case, the past should never be revisited until we have established safety in the present. All effective trauma treatment keeps you in the driver's seat.
One present centered approach called manual-based treatment, in which the therapist draws from a book or manual designed especially for helping people heal from trauma, has proven helpful for 60% of people completing it. Combine this with the folk wisdom that we are more likely to change in a group that believes change is possible and you have two compelling reasons to consider joining a group. However, manual-nased treatment can be done in group or individual counseling formats.
If you find this topic a bit overwhelming, you are not alone. It can be hard to master all of the information available to us today but have faith. Your healing journey is worth it. My invitation is to keep it simple. Be wary of people who promise results with a particular brand of treatment. How could they know what works for you? Try things out, ask questions, take a break if you want to, and come back when you are ready. Staying the course of your recovery is the hardest and best work you can do.
May your journey be meaningful and your support abundant along the way...
*In the service of being transparent, I offer all of the above evidence-based trauma treatment methods- omitting, of course, medication, as I am not a psychiatrist- and have found each to be helpful for different people. As the song goes, "different strokes for different folks." That's what keeps us adding new tools to our toolkits.
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